RWBY: The Dark Rose
by TheIrishMan44
Summary: AU where the events of Volume 3 never occurred and the lives of Beacon continued undisturbed. After being sent of a solo mission, Ruby disappears. Having been corrupted by Salem, Ruby is turned into a weapon against Ozpin. Will team RWBY be able to help their leader recover? How will Weiss cope with the drastic changes to the innocent girl she fell in love with? Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** **This is my first attempt at a RWBY fanfiction, so I hope this goes well. It's set in an AU where the events at the end of Volume 3 never occurred and life at Beacon continued on undisturbed. Set in team RWBY's third year, Ruby was sent on a solo mission and is now missing. Let's get to it then.**

* * *

 _"But perhaps, victory is in a simpler things you've long forgotten. Things that require smaller, more honest soul."_

 _"Even the most honest can fall to the corruption of darkness."_

* * *

Chapter 1

Weiss opened the door to her shared dorm room, having just finished her classes for the day. Not bothering to change from her uniform, Weiss walks to her bed and lays down. Pulling out her scroll, Weiss pulls up the picture she has stared at every day since Ruby's disappearance. The picture shows both Ruby and Weiss in their uniforms, hugging gleefully for the start of their first summer break at Beacon.

' _Oh Ruby, where are you? it's been almost a month since you were so post to be back._ ' Weiss' thoughts were interrupted as the door to the dorm opened again to show Yang. The blonde brawler looked over to her teammate to see a now familiar sight.

Yang sighs, "Weiss I know you're worried, but doing this isn't good for you."

Weiss lowered her head and looked away from her teammate, "I... I know Yang, but I can't help it." Yang walked over and sat down next to the heiress.

"I know how you feel Weiss. She is my little sis after all, but we have to keep our faith." Weiss sighed heavily, lifting her head towards the blonde.

"I just... I'm filled with so much regret." Tears started to fall down the heiress' face. Yang was about to speak, but Weiss interrupted. "I was finally going to tell Ruby how I feel about her when she got back and now I'm afraid that I'll never see her again."

Yang was taken back by her confession. "Oh Weiss, I'm sorry. I know we've talked about this before, but I never thought that was why you were so worried."

"I just... I can't imagine my life without her anymore and now I may never see her again." Weiss wiped the tears away.

"I'm sure we'll see her again. Ozpin has Qrow looking for her. I'm sure he'll find her. We just have to keep our hopes up."

Weiss stood up with Yang following. Weiss turned and hugged the blonde. "Thank you Yang. I needed that."

"It's no problem Weiss." The two pulled away, smiling. "I'm going to take a shower Yang. When Blake gets back we should go get dinner in Vale. Help get all of this off of my mind." Weiss said as she grabbed some fresh clothes and heads towards the dorm's bathroom.

Once Weiss had closed the door, Yang's smile fell with her shoulders. Sighing, Yang walked over and sat down on Blake's bed.

"Practice what you preach honey." Yang looked up to see Blake carefully close the door to the dorm. The cat faunus walked over and sat next to her girlfriend. She wraps one arm around the blonde and Yang leans into the side hug.

"I do kitty, but I'm still worried." Yang looked up into the amber eyes of her girlfriend. The two leaned in for a short kiss. As they separated, Yang laid her head on Blake's shoulder and the cat faunus started stroking the blonde's hair to comfort her.

"I know we'll see her again. Ruby's a strong huntress."

"I know Blake. Thank you." Yang pulled away as she heard the water shut off. "Weiss wants to go get dinner in Vale tonight. I'm going to skip taking a shower since I wasn't picked in combat class today."

Weiss walked out dressed in one of her casual white dresses in time to hear Blake's response. "Well I'm going to take a quick shower now that Weiss is out." Blake grabbed some clothes and entered the bathroom.

"I'll be outside so you can change in here Yang." Weiss opened the door to the hallway to see Glynda Goodwitch about to knock.

"Oh Miss Schnee. Headmaster Ozpin requests the presence of your team in his office as soon as possible."

"Is it about Ruby?" Weiss asked, her voice a mixture of hope and fear."

"I am not sure, but it's possible. Qrow is also waiting for you."

"We'll be there soon. Blake is in the shower." Yang said as she came up behind Weiss.

"Very well." Glynda Goodwitch turned and walked away from the door. As she moved, Weiss noticed Pyrrha standing by the door to JNPR's dorm.

"Let us know when you can. We're all worried about her." Weiss nodded in response. Pyrrah opened the door and moved into her dorm.

Weiss and Yang backed into the dorm when they heard the door to the bathroom open. "Who were you guys talking to?"

"Glynda Goodwitch. She came and told us that Ozpin wants to see us and that uncle Qrow is here." Yang grabbed the clothes she was going to change into and quickly entered the bathroom. Blake glanced over to Weiss to see her worried expression.

' _I hope it's good news, for both of their sakes._ '

* * *

 **Earlier that Day**

Ozpin sat at his desk looking over the reports he's collected. A few weeks ago a small village in Vale was decimated by Grimm, and over those weeks two more villages fell. While tragic, it's not that uncommon for the smaller villages to suffer due to their lacking of strong defences.

Several things about these attacks stuck out to Ozpin. Survivors have stated that the Grimm seemed to be more organized in their attacks, which is highly unusual. Secondly, the positions of the villages are almost in a straight line towards the city of Vale and Beacon Academy. The only village left in this line towards Vale is Patch, but being isolated on an island should keep the Grimm at bay.

The final thing that Ozpin is most interested in is that the only survivor of the latest attack said that the Grimm was lead by a huntress. This survivor described the huntress as a lean girl with skin as white as snow. The huntress was said to be wearing a black corset and skirt combo with red trim. The huntress also apparently wore a cloak which was black on the outside and red on the inside and wielded a red scythe.

Ozpin had immediately contacted Qrow on the possible sighting of his missing niece and gave Qrow the location of the fallen village. Now it's just a waiting game to see if Qrow finds anything.

Ozpin's train of thought was interrupted as the elevator to his office opened. Qrow stormed over to the headmaster's desk, his eyes filled with rage, with Glynda Goodwitch following with a scowl across her face. As Qrow approached the desk, he pulled a bloody scroll with a cracked screen out of his jacket and slammed it onto the desk.

"I take it you have found something you do not enjoy." Ozpin said in an even tone as the scroll connected to his computer. A video file was transfered and displayed by the holographic projector in the room.

Qrow's only response was to grab his flask and down all that was left in it. The video began to play, the camera shaking slightly. The video turns towards a main street in the village, buildings burning in the background. Standing surrounded by Grimm are a group of villagers with various weapons ranging from hunting rifles to pitch forks. The Grimm suddenly back off as a figure in a black cloak holding a scythe behind her back, blade bouncing off of her heels as she walks towards the group.

The villagers lowered their guard, thinking the huntress was there to save them. The huntress leans down, her scythe blade at the ready next to her. In a burst of red and black rose petals the huntress dashes through the group several times, slashing through the defenceless people. In a matter of seconds, the villagers all fall into a pile of gore in the wake of the huntress.

The huntress turns towards the camera and fires a shot from her scythe towards the film makes. The camera is dropped and lands to see the villager who was filming fall over with a whole through the middle of his forehead.

After a few moments the camera is suddenly picked up and turned to face the murder. The girl lowers her blood stained hood to reveal Ruby. Her skin is as pale as snow, her hair now longer and reaching down her back under her cloak. Ruby's eyes were her normal silver, but lines of a deep red color seemed to dance across the silver platters like worms in the mud.

"Hello Ozpin." Ruby began, a wicked grin growing on her face. The grin quickly falls away and Ruby appears to take on a serious tone. "I'll keep this simple. I want Qrow in Patch this weekend for when we arrive. Failure to comply will forfeit lives of the citizens of Patch, including Signal Academy." The last thing the video sees is Ruby, filled with rage, throwing the scroll across the street and into the pile of body pieces. Ozpin quickly rewound the video and paused it on a picture of Ruby's face.

"What happened to that girl?" Glynda asked, horror written across her face. Ozpin turned to her.

"I need to speak to Qrow alone. Wait ten minutes, then please go get team RWBY and tell them to come see us." Glynda quickly recovered her composure. "Of course sir."

Qrow waited until Glynda was in the elevator before turning towards Ozpin. "What was that Oz?!"

"All evidence would suggest that it is Miss Rose."

"It can't be though. I helped raise and train Ruby and she would NEVER attack an innocent. And what was that with the Grimm? I've never heard of someone being able to bend the will of Grimm." Qrow took a moment to compose himself.

"I would agree with you Qrow. Ruby has the ideals of a true huntress." Qrow interrupted, "Could this be Salem?"

Ozpin sighed, "That was my exact thought. You must go to Patch and try to reason with Ruby."

Qrow sighed heavily, but before he could respond the elevator door opened to show team RWBY. As they entered the room, the group almost simultaneously noticed the still picture of their leader.

"Ruby..." Weiss whispered, tears forming in her eyes as she looked at the image. ' _What has happened to you?_ '

"Uncle Qrow, what is this? Have you found Ruby?" Yang's voice showed her confusion. Qrow turned from Yang to Ozpin. The headmaster nodded, so Qrow moved towards his niece. Placing his hands on her shoulders, the two made eye contact.

"Ruby... is being manipulated by a dark force. She is currently sweeping across Vale with a large pack of Grimm, and she's heading to Patch."

Blake spoke up, fear showing in her eyes, "By sweeping do you mean..." Ozpin was quick to answer, "Yes. Ruby and these Grimm and destroyed three villages. In the latest attack a villager was able to film her... slaughtering a group of villagers and the one filming. She then left a note for Qrow to be in Patch this weekend for her arrival."

Weiss was openly crying. She couldn't believe that someone would force her little rose to do something so evil. Weiss was ripped from her thoughts suddenly by Yang pulling her into a hug. "We'll get her back, and we'll help her through this."

Qrow was about to reject until Ozpin spoke first. "Ruby has a strong will, and a kind heart. Seeing those who love her might just help her overcome what is controlling her. Even though, I need you three to promise me that if Qrow tells you to leave you must listen."

"Why would we leave?" Yang was confused at this seemingly contradicting statement.

"Our first priority is to the safety of the people. Ruby is not in her right mind, and she's bringing a lot of Grimm with her. If we fail to save her, we have to do everything to stop the threat."

"You can't be serious Qrow! That's Ruby! You can't really be suggesting we kill her!" Yang was furious, her eyes flashing to red.

"If Ruby is beyond the point of no return then she will essentially be a Grimm. For the safety of all the Kingdoms, we cannot have a scythe wielding Grimm with her semblance. I don't like it either Yang, and we will do everything to apprehend her first."

Qrow turned to Ozpin, "Do you still have access to those tranq guns?" Ozpin quickly typed on his computer before replying, "We have two here with several 500mg rounds."

Qrow's eyes widened, "500mg?! Oz, that's a lot for a girl Ruby's size."

"Normally yes, but you may only get one shot to take her down." Ozpin's computer suddenly rang with a call from Taiyang.

"How may I help you Taiyang?"

"We have this call every day Ozpin. Anything on Ruby?" Ozpin side glanced at Qrow who was shaking his his head no.

"I'm afraid not Tai, but there is something I need to tell you. We have received intel that there is a large group of Grimm moving towards Patch and they'll be there by the weekend. I need you to coordinate with Signal to evacuate the civilians. I'll be sending who I can to deal with the Grimm."

Tai sighed, "Alright, I'll get on it." The call ended.

"Why did you not tell him?" Yang asked, her rage still evident.

"We need him working on the evacuation and hopefully far away from Ruby. You know how he is Yang. If he knew about Ruby's condition he might have shut down completely." Qrow explained as he grabbed his flask. A quick shake reminded him that he emptied it earlier.

"I suggest you all go rest up. We'll be heading out tomorrow morning. Oz, if you need me call." Qrow then got in the elevator and left.

Ozpin let out a deep sigh, "I know this will be tough for you three, but I need you to understand what you're going up against. Ruby is obviously not in her right mind. While I hope that you will be able to talk her down, do not hesitate to use the tranq darts on her. If we're capable of capturing her then we'll have more time to help her through this."

"We're ready Professor. We'll get Ruby back no matter what."

"Even so Yang, this will not be the end of her troubles."

Blake hopped into the conversation, "Yang, Ruby will be traumatized by this. If she has full memory of her actions..."

Weiss realized where she was going and her barely contained tears started to flow again and whispered, "Oh Ruby. No matter what I'll be here for you."

Yang quickly moved to hug her teammate. "Shh... It'll be alright. We'll all be there for her."

"Come on guys. We still need to get our dinner and get some rest." Blake helped the two towards the elevator. Once they had left Ozpin turned to organizing a group of hunters to send out to Patch.

 **Author's Note:** **Well here's where I'll end Chapter 1. Next time we'll see how the team's encounter with the corrupted Ruby goes. I hope you all enjoyed this and I'll try to update soon.**


	2. Chapter 2: Confrontation

**UPDATE AU: Sorry guys but there isn't a new chapter yet. It was brought to my attention that I had spelled a few names wrong so I quickly went through and corrected those. I'll hopefully have a new chapter up soon though.**

 **Chapter 2**

Inbound to Patch were two dropships. One contained team JNPR with Doctor Oobleck, while the other contained team RWBY and Qrow. Qrow reaches up and activates his earpiece.

"Remember the plan. Once we land, we'll secure the area and prepare our position for the incoming Grimm. Team JNPR with Doctor Oobleck will be on crowd control while team RWBY and I will focus on the primary target. We'll start with a peaceful solution, but be ready with the tranq darts. Blake with the first rifle will be the distraction while Pyrrha has the second to catch her unaware. Once she's down we'll worry about securing her and then move to assist in clearing out the remaining Grimm."

The pilot's voice comes over their headsets, "We're approaching Patch airspace and should be able to tune to their channels momentarily." After a few moments of silence, the channel exploded with the evacuation teams calling all clear in their areas. One group caught Qrow's attention though.

"Main street is all clear except one girl. All of our attempts to talk to her were either ignored or she couldn't hear us. We left her there for the time but now that the other civilians are clear we're moving back in."

"This is Huntsman Qrow. Was this girl wearing a black cloak?"

The was hesitation from the commander, "Uh... Yeah she was."

"Are there any sightings of Grimm yet?" Oobleck asked, joining the conversation.

"None yet sir."

"Leave her and do not go back to her!" Qrow yelled over the coms. Why was she already here? Where are the Grimm she was leading? "Change of plans teams. We're jumping strait in. Pilots, get us over Main Street and we'll jump. The primary target is early."

"Qrow what's going on here? What aren't you telling me?" Taiyang's voice came over the coms, confusion evident in his tone. The channel was suddenly overcome with interference until a new voice spoke out.

"Yeah Uncle Qrow, what are you not telling dear old daddy?" Ruby's question sounded so innocent. Qrow noticed the looks shared by the group, no one was fooled. They all knew the statement was to incite tension in the group. Qrow could only hope Tai wouldn't... "Ruby!? I'm so glad to know that my little girl is alright. Stay put and I'll come to you!" ... fall for it.

"Tai, we need you to stay out of this. Don't worry about Ruby, we'll handle this."

"Qrow, you can't be serious! Ruby's been missing and now I know she's within walking distance! Nothing will keep me from running to my daughter!"

"Daddy's going to be here too!? Now it'll be a family reunion!"

Yang could see this was going no where. "Dad we need you to listen. Ruby's not herself right now and she might be dangerous. We have a plan to help her but we need you to stay out of this."

After a minute of no response, Qrow pulls his scroll out and tried to call Taiyang. After a few rings the call is directed to the voicemail. Frustrated at his friend's stubbornness, Qrow closes his scroll and shoves it back into his pocket.

Placing his headset back in his ear he activates his radio, "Taiyang has removed his headset and is ignoring any attempt to contact him via scroll. Be ready to intercept him and to keep him away from the target. How long until we reach Patch?"

"E.T.A less than 2 minutes."

"Alright. You all know what to do. Let's bring her home."

* * *

Once both dropships were in place over main street, the two teams jumped. Landing with precision, they collectively moved towards the lone figure facing away from them. Before any could react a voice rang out between two building near the hooded girl, calling her name. Taiyang appeared from between two buildings, sprinting towards his daughter. In response, the group rushed towards the duo.

Qrow nods towards Oobleck, and in an instant the speedy professor intercepted Taiyang's approach. While the man is distracted the rest of the group moved into position between him and Ruby; JNPR assisting Oobleck while Qrow and WBY turned their attention towards their target.

A light giggle is heard from the hooded girl, "Daddy's funny when he's overprotective."

Yang cautiously approached her sister, watching for any negative reaction. Seeing none, Yang pulled her sister into a hug. Ruby leans into the hug, resting her head on Yang's shoulder. "I've missed you Ruby."

"I've missed you too Yang. I've missed all of you." Yang pulled away from their embrace and carefully pulled Ruby's hood down. Lilac met silver; Yang instantly watching the red lines dance across her sister's iris.

"Then why didn't you just come home?"

"We haven't been able to play yet, and because Mistress has given me a task."

Qrow enters the conversation, having moved up behind Yang and now stood next to her. "What is this task? Who is your Mistress?"

"Mistress Salem of course." Ruby replied, confusing Yang. She said it like they were suppose to know who that was. Glancing towards her uncle, Yang notices a look of dread on his face before he regained his composure.

"Ruby, I know you're not going to like this, but we need you to stop. Salem is not a good person."

Ruby jumped back a few feet before screaming, "You lie! She told me you would try to trick me! You're just like him! You both lie to get what you want! You don't want to let us play! Mistress will burn all that was built on your lies! I'll kill him, and I'll kill you!"

Yang was desperate to calm her sister down, "Ruby wait! Please don't do this! I don't know what this Salem has told you, but you know this isn't right! You're a good person, a Huntress! We stop the bad people, and this Salem is using you!"

"Mistress cares about me! Mistress doesn't lie to me! Mistress doesn't hoard power for herself! I can't believe you Uncle Qrow! You were my role model, my mentor! How can you help him hide the truth?!"

With a dejected sigh, Qrow's shoulders slouched. "Ruby, the world isn't ready to know these things. It would only bring chaos and fear. That's all that Salem really wants. She wants to bring about the downfall of humanity, just like any other Grimm."

"What are you talking about?" Weiss asks the question that was running through all of team WBY's minds.

"Salem is a powerful foe, often thought of as the mother of Grimm. She's a humanoid Grimm with a high level of intelligence." Qrow's answer sent chills through the team. A humanoid Grimm? Possibly the oldest and the origin of all Grimm?

Qrow collected himself and turned towards his niece, "What is your task?"

"I've told you that already. I'm to kill the King of Lies. Then we can play without interruption."

"Who is that?" Yang asked, frustration seeping into her voice. At the same time Blake asks, "What do you mean 'play'?"

"All we want to do is play." Ruby glanced towards the forest off the road. A single howl rings into the air, silencing all of the commotion. The first howl is soon followed by dozens more as a large pack of Beowolves rushes towards the hunters. JNPR quickly moves to intercept the incoming Grimm, leaving Oobleck alone to keep Tiayang away from Ruby.

Qrow answered the first question for Ruby, drawing their attention back to their corrupted leader. "She's been sent to kill Ozpin."

"Not just him, but all of the liars that hide the truth. The world will now know of your selfish ways; how you've kept them in the dark for so long. I'll kill Ozpin. I'll kill Goodwitch. I'll kill Ironwood. And I'll kill you Uncle Qrow!"

"Ruby, it doesn't have to be this way. I know, with the voices, it's hard to think strait. They overwhelm you until you just submit to be able to think. We can help, but you have to let us." Ruby bowed her head, slowly approaching her uncle. Once within arm's reach Ruby looked up, teary eyes locking with Qrow.

"Please h-help me... I-I d-d-don't want to hurt anyone." Qrow quickly pulls the crying girl into his arms. Her head rests up against his chest; his steady heartbeat seeming to calm her down. Yang quickly joins the embrace, resting her head on Qrow's opposite shoulder and gently strokes her sister's hair. The younger sister flinches at the contact before leaning into the caring ministrations.

A growl warns the group of an approaching Beowolf. Blake intercepts it's approach, quickly killing it with a slice through it's neck. Qrow's gaze turns towards the second half of the group. Team JNPR had lost a lot of ground to the pack, having been pushed several blocks into the village. The ground wasn't gained easily though, leaving dozens of smoldering corpses in the street. The team wasn't unscaved either. Jaune's shield had been collapsed and hung on his belt, his left arm hanging limp to his side. Ren had resorted to just adding cover fire while gripping his side in pain. Nora and Pyrrha seemed mostly unharmed except for a few cuts and bruises.

Doctor Oobleck seemed to notice the struggling team and moved to assist. Now uncontested, Taiyang rushed to his daughter. As he reached his hugging family he glared at his old teammate. "We'll be talking about this later."

"Tai just calm down. We need to finish off the rest of the Grimm before we can evac to Beacon."

Ruby lifted her head and looked up towards Qrow, tears still streaming down her eyes. "You're t-taking me t-to Ozpin?"

"I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable Ruby, but he'll be able to help you. Don't worry, I won't leave you."

"You promise?"

"Yeah kiddo, I promise." Ruby's tears stopped running and a smile grew. Yang wiped away her sister's tears, "I'll be here too Ruby. I won't ever let you face this alone."

Ruby seemed to stare into Yang's eyes for a moment before turning back to Qrow, "Will Ozpin be able to help Yang too?" Yang didn't understand what she meant, but before she could ask Qrow answered first. "Of course he will." Ruby's smile grew even larger, her arms holding Qrow tighter.

Her smile fell as she noticed the confused expression from Yang. "Yang, you hear the voices too right?" Qrow's face adopted a shocked expression and Taiyang noticed immediately. "Qrow what are you hiding?! I want answers, Now!"

Ruby gently cupped her sister's cheek, her hand glowing a dark aura. Yang's eyes slowly closed. They opened to reveal red iris' burning brightly, but Yang's expression remained confused.

"Can't you hear their call?" _kill...kill...kill..._

"Ruby... what's happening?"

"Yang, we know who you are. We want you to join us. We can play together." _Kill...kill...Kill..._

"Ruby... I don't understand... What do you mean?" _Kill...Kill...KILL!..._

"Your eyes are red. You're strengthened by your rage. You instill fear and enjoy it. You're like me, you have Grimm in you."

Yang clutches her head with both her hands. _KILL! KILL! KILL!_ "NO!" A long scream pierces through the air as Yang falls to her knees. "Make it stop! Make the voices stop!"

Blake had to resist the urge to rush to her screaming partner. Instead she flanked behind Ruby with the tranq gun, waiting for the perfect shot.

As Qrow releases Ruby to assist Yang a weight is lifted from his back. Realizing he has been disarmed, he turns to see the flat of his blade flying towards his head. Unable to dodge, Qrow is knocked to the ground from the impact. Ruby tries to slash down at her uncle, but a glyph stops her attack.

Ruby looks up to see the heiress standing behind the fallen huntsman. Her outstretched arm shaking and tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to fight you Ruby."

"Then don't get in my way."

"Please. Ruby you're my partner. We promised that we would always look out for each other. All we want to do is help you."

"Then help me..." Ruby's sentence is cut short by a dart piercing through her aura and into her neck. She tears the dart out of her neck and looks at it. Turning around, Ruby finds her assailant to be Blake holding the tranq gun.

Not waiting any longer, Ruby charges Blake. Bringing Qrow's sword down in an overhead strike, Blake is forced to use the rifle to block the attack. The sword easily cuts the rifle in half, rendering it useless. The blade shifts, slicing through Blake's thigh. A pained scream escapes the girl's mouth as she falls to the ground, blood pouring from the wound. Seeming satisfied, Ruby turns back to deal with her partner.

* * *

Qrow forced himself onto his hands and knees, his head throbbing in pain. Finally bringing his vision into focus, he sees Yang visibly shaking as she cradles her head in her hands. Taiyang's trying to comfort his daughter, but she seems lost in her mind. Qrow stumbles over to the blonde and nearly collapses when he stops next to her.

Reaching into his coat, Qrow pulls out a flask. Instead of being his normal steel one, this flask is solid black. Firmly grasping the girl's chin, Qrow forces Yang to look at him. When red meets red, Yang seems to finally come back to reality.

"Uncle Qrow?"

"Yang, I need you to drink this. It will help." Yang desperately reaches for the dark flask. As soon as she has a hold of it, she opens the lid and chugs half of the mysterious liquid. Qrow quickly grabs the flask and seals the lid. A moment later Yang blacks out. Qrow catches her and gently lays the blonde down.

"Qrow what did you give her?!"

"It was a powerful sedative that will leave her in a dreamless sleep. It was the best way to calm her down."

"When we're done here you have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know Tai, and I will. There's a lot more going on here that even I know. For now.." Qrow was interrupted by a whirring sound and mechanical shifting. Turning, Qrow spots Ruby standing by above the other two members of her team with his scythe fully deployed. Both girls are unconscious and Blake's leg was bleeding profusely.

Qrow struggles to stand, but quickly loses his balance and falls back down. Ruby stalks towards him with his scythe ready to strike. Once she's in range, Ruby slices towards the her uncle.

Qrow braced for the incoming strike, but instead of pain he is suddenly covered in blood. Glancing up reveals that Taiyang tried to block the attack and failed, Qrow's scythe slicing through Taiyang's side.

The blade only cut a few inches before suddenly stopping completely. The loss of momentum stunned the crimson girl. Turning, Ruby notices that Pyrrha has her arm outstretched towards the weapon. It suddenly clicked that the spartan had used her semblance to prevent Tiayang's death.

Before she could react, another dart found it's way into her upper arm. Releasing her grip on the stolen scythe, Ruby stumbles back. Seeing that the girl still wouldn't go down, Ren quickly shot her again. The third dart finally forces Ruby to submit to the tranquilizer and fall into unconsciousness. Nora and Jaune moved to help Taiyang and Pyrrha released her control over the scythe.

Doctor Oobleck, seeing how many had been injured, quickly called for an evac. "Those who can, help stabilize the most severe injuries and gather everyone together."

Once both Blake's and Taiyang's wounds were properly dressed, Oobleck moved towards the defeated Qrow. "Are you injured?"

"Took a hard hit to my head when I wasn't ready. I feel like it's a concussion."

"We have an airship inbound to retrieve us and take us back to Beacon where we can get everyone proper medical attention."

Qrow lets out a deep sigh, "This went horribly."

"Yes, simply tragic. Were you able to reason with her at all?"

"Yes and no. Hopefully we will be able to get through to her in a more controlled environment, and with Ozpin's help."

Oobleck takes a swig of his coffee, "We can only hope."

 **Author's Note:** **Here we are, at the end of Chapter Two. Qrow's got a lot of skeletons in his closet that are being drug into the light. Hopefully the future attempts to help Ruby go better than her capture. I'll try to update asap, but with classes it's hard to know when I'll really finish the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3: Explanations

**Author's Note:** **Hey guys, sorry for the false alarm, but I re-wrote part of this chapter. As I've been working on the next chapter, something in this chapter kept nagging at me, so I decided to do some re-writing before I continued on. I revised Raven's explanation because I scrapped the double agent part. I want to take this story into more of a helping Ruby recover drama type, and I felt that the double agent part was unnecessary.**

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

 ** _Mission Report: Search & Destroy/ Recovery_**

 _ **Mission Location:**_ _Patch_

 _ **Mission Roster:**_ _Leader: Qrow Branwen, Assistant Hunter: Doctor Oobleck, Team JNPR, Team RWBY_

 _ **Mission Goals:**_ _Stop the incoming horde of Grimm. Rescue, or in dire situation kill, the student Ruby Rose_

 ** _Mission Summary:_** _N/A, Pending report from Mission Leader._

 ** _Injury Summary; Written by Nurse Joy of Beacon Academy:_** _Miss Nora and Miss Pyrrha returned with minor injuries and are healing fine with their auras. Huntsman Qrow returned with a minor concussion from blunt-force trama. Both Mr. Lie Ren and Miss Schnee returned with two cracked ribs and have been treated properly. Mr. Arc's left shoulder was dislocated; the shoulder has been reset and must be kept in a sling until properly healed. Miss Belladonna has a large gash along her left thigh. The wound luckily missed any major arteries and has since been stitched and dressed. Miss Xiao-Long returned unconscious, but with no injuries. Blood work found a powerful sedative in her system that appears to have been voluntarily ingested. It appears to apprehend Miss Rose, three tranquilizer darts were used. Normally this would would be a severe overdose for a girl her size, but her system seems to metabolizing the sedative at an abnormal rate. One civilian was brought in, Mr. Xiao-Long. Mr. Xiao-Long was rushed into surgery to deal with a major laceration in his side, seemingly caused by a scythe by the shape of the wound. Luckily the wound is not very deep but will require time to fully heal._

 ** _End Report._**

* * *

The elevator doors opened to reveal Qrow entering the Headmaster's Office. Ozpin turned away from the mission report, "Qrow, shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm fine Oz. Figured you'd want to know what happened."

Ozpin nodded. "How is Miss Rose?"

"We need Raven."

Ozpin sighs, "That bad?"

"Oz, Ruby is in deep. She pulled the voices of the Grimm from Yang's subconscious and she had a breakdown. I had to give her my sedative to stop her screaming and she almost overdosed. Ruby seems to be resisting but she lost control quickly. We had to use the tranquilizers to stop her from killing one of us."

Ozpin sat in thought for a moment before responding, "I'll send her a message and try to get her here soon. Until then, we have to have a conversation with your nieces."

"Be prepared for Ruby though Oz. Salem sent her to kill you, the 'King of Liars', and everyone who helps you."

"Hopefully by being here, she will be far enough away from the Grimm and will be more docile."

* * *

Weiss slowly opens her eyes. Looking around she sees that she's in the infirmary at Beacon, sharing a room with her entire team. Her eyes quickly found their way to Ruby. The younger girl seemed physically fine, but she is strapped down to the bed with an IV in her arm feeding a sedative into her system to keep her unconscious. ' _Ugh, what happened?_ '

The door to their room opens and both Qrow and Ozpin enter the room. Weiss tries to sit up, but a searing pain runs through her side. With a hiss of pain, Weiss leans back against the headrest of the bed.

"Now do be careful Miss Schnee, you have two cracked ribs."

"What happened? Is everyone alright? The last thing I remember is Yang screaming and Ruby attacking."

"Everyone will recover, but some have a bit of healing to do."

"Who are the worst?" Weiss asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"Mr. Arc's left shoulder was dislocated while fighting the Beowolves, but no permanent damage was sustained. Both Miss Belladonna and Mr. Xiao-Long will be bedridden while their wounds heal and will require some physical rehabilitation."

"How bad is Blake?"

"Luckily the wound on her leg missed any major arteries, so it is a simple matter of the wound healing and reconditioning the muscles. Her recovery shouldn't be too difficult."

Weiss turned away from her headmaster to look over her teammates. Qrow's voice cut through her thoughts answering her unasked questions, "Yang and Ruby will be fine physically, but mentally is another story. I won't go into too much depth yet, but you'll hear everything when we talk to both of them."

Qrow blatantly ignored Weiss' frustrated glare as he walked towards Yang's bed. Past the two family members Blake is sitting up, watching the older man carefully. _'When did she wake up?'_ Qrow leans down and places a strange white strip of paper under Yang's nose. Whatever the strip was, the smell seemed to stir Yang from her slumber.

Yang suddenly shot from her bed pushing Qrow away from her. Scanning the room, worried red eyes met a set of calm amber eyes. Yang visibly relaxed at the sight of her girlfriend, quickly pulling the girl into her strong grip.

The two pulled apart, tears streaming down Yang's face. "I'm so sorry Blake."

Blake gently stroked Yang's hair, "Yang I'm fine. We all thought that we had Ruby under control, and I will never blame you or her for what happened. All that matters is that we're all here alive." Yang's tears stopped and Blake wiped the remaining away.

"Yang." Qrow's voice interrupted, pulling the blonde's attention away from Blake. "This is an important question that I need you to answer truthfully. Do you hear the voices right now?"

Yang sat in silence for a few moments before answering, "No, I don't. Qrow, what happened to me out there?"

"Yang, the Branwen family has a long family history; most of which is lost to the currents of time. At some point in our family line, one of our ancestors experienced something similar to what Ruby is going through. Grimm genetic material tends to dominate over its human counterpart so the physical attributes have continued down the line."

"So Ruby was right? I'm a monster?"

"No!" Both Qrow and Blake yelled at the same time. "You are no different now than you were last week. Our red eyes are just a physical trait, just like your bright blonde hair. What you are never makes who you are, and knowing where it comes from shouldn't either."

"What about the voices though? I could hear the Grimm!"

"You always could; you just didn't recognize them. They were buried deep inside your mind, and they often agreed with your conscious thoughts. Every time you've fought a Grimm in your training all they wanted to do was kill you, and all you wanted to do was kill them."

Weiss interjects, "They were thinking the same thing?"

"Or at least close enough that it never stuck out to Yang. It didn't help that Ruby somehow pulled those thoughts to the foreground in Patch. While you were focused on making sure Ruby was alright, she pulled the violence from the background. The sheer difference between the two trains of thought is what overwhelmed you."

"So how do I prevent that from happening again?"

Ozpin interjects, "Hopefully keeping your exposure to the Grimm at a minimum for a while will let your mind rebalance and the issue will resolve itself. Unfortunately we can't be sure thanks to Ruby's involvement, so there is no guarantee. If it fails to right itself then we'll have an expert help you recover the balance."

"Who would be the expert, a psychiatrist?"

Qrow and Ozpin share a concerned gaze before Ozpin continues, "No Yang, this expert is the same one we'll be using with Ruby. She has extensive experience because she has a similar condition to what we think Ruby is experiencing."

"What's her name?"

Qrow sighs, "Yang, it's Raven." Yang's eyes go wide. "What!?"

"Yang..."

"Don't 'Yang' me! You have not only the ability to call my mother, but to bring her here and you've never told me?!"

"I would have never come." Raven seemed to just form from the darkness in the corner of the room. Even Blake didn't know she was there. At seeing her mother, Yang jumped from where she was sat next to Blake. Rage apparent on her face, Yang stomped over to Raven. Standing only a foot away, mirrored eyes locked their gazes.

"Why not?" Yang growled.

"Because it would have endangered you all."

"And how's that!?"

Qrow crossed the room to stand between the two women, "Raven got the short end of the stick. She has always had a harder time coping with our heritage."

"I left to learn self control. After I gave birth to you, it only got worse. I couldn't stand the idea that I could hurt Tai, hurt you, so I left. And as much as I hate what I did, the isolation helped. I can never undo what I did, and I certainty don't deserve forgiveness, but I will do everything in my power to help Ruby recover."

Raven was startled when Yang suddenly hugged her. "I'm not ready to forgive you, I may never be, but I understand. You're so much like Ruby; putting everyone else before you. Just please, help Ruby come back."

"I promise Yang, I'll do everything I can to help her." The two pulled away and Raven turned towards Ruby.

"Has she come to yet?" Qrow shakes his head in response.

"We should move her to a different room then. It would be best if we had fewer people around her to prevent her from panicking."

Ozpin stood and quietly left the room, presumably to get a private room for them. "I suggest it just be us family in the room."

Weiss spoke up, "I want to be there too." Raven looked over at the heiress, studying her. "You have several cracked ribs so you need to rest, and in the case of Ruby reacting violently you'd only be in the way."

"Don't worry princess, you'll get to see her soon." Weiss rolled her eyes at Yang's nickname for her. "Fine."

"Don't worry Yang, I'll keep an eye on her." Blake said.

Ozpin reentered the room with a few nurses. "They will help move Miss Rose to her new room." The nurses carefully wheeled the unconscious girl and all of the medical equipment down the hall with Branwen siblings and Yang in tow.

 **Author's Note:** **Sorry for the shorter chapter, but this seemed like the best place to leave it. Next chapter we'll see how Ruby is doing and is Raven can help her control her new condition. As always hope you all enjoy and I'll try to update soon.**


End file.
